UN Condemns Taliban’s Decree Legitimising Violence Against Women

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has issued a strong condemnation of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan regarding a recent decree that expands and legitimises violence against women and children. Addressing the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on Afghanistan during the ongoing 61st session of the Human Rights Council, Turk referred to Afghanistan as “a graveyard for human rights.” He highlighted a series of restrictive measures enacted since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, which have systematically curtailed women’s rights, restricting access to education, employment, and healthcare.

Turk specifically denounced a decree signed last month by the Taliban leadership, stating that it expands the application of the death penalty, legitimises corporal punishment, and criminalises dissent against the de facto authorities. Such actions have resulted in further reductions of women’s freedoms, placing them in a position of systemic persecution and gender-based oppression comparable to apartheid.

Furthermore, Turk expressed alarm over the Taliban’s actions to prohibit Afghan women, including employees of the United Nations and contractors, from entering UN facilities since September 2025. He shed light on the significant hurdles women encounter in various sectors such as media, public service, and humanitarian efforts, particularly under censorship, mandated dress codes, and the requirement for male guardianship, which restrict their active participation in public life.

Public executions, limitations on freedom of expression, and nationwide communication blackouts are contributing to heightened risks faced by women and girls. “The de facto authorities have effectively criminalized the presence of women and girls in public life. They are barred from secondary and higher education and most forms of employment. These actions have negatively affected their healthcare access, civic engagement, and freedom of movement and expression,” Turk noted.

In recent months, Turk pointed out that the Law on the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has been instrumental in enforcing stringent controls, including mandating men’s beards, enforcing strict hijab for women, requiring female individuals to be accompanied by male guardians, prohibiting music and images of living beings, and enforcing mandatory prayers.

He urged the Taliban to revoke all discriminatory laws and decrees, ensuring unimpeded access for women and girls to education, healthcare, employment, and participation in public life. Turk also called for a moratorium on executions, an end to corporal punishment, and respect for freedom of expression, particularly for women journalists.

The High Commissioner warned that the ongoing marginalisation and oppression of women threaten Afghanistan’s social unity and future growth. He emphasised that the nation cannot progress without the full involvement of women in both public and civic spheres. Turk insisted on accountability for the Taliban and affirmed that human rights must be a vital aspect of all engagements concerning Afghanistan.

“Women and girls are the present and the future, and the country cannot thrive without them. I call on the de facto authorities to reverse all discriminatory decrees, edicts and policies; to ensure access to secondary and tertiary education, healthcare, and employment for women; and to enable their full participation in public life,” Turk concluded.

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